Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1887-07-13
plants which would have properly
consigned some officers to deep dis

plants which would have properly
consigned some officers to deep dis
grace; and he even released
from arrest all officers who
had been under charges before
the battle. In this way the people have
been unjustly, as / thinkdepriyed
OF the knowledge Of who was response
BILE for our surprise and disastrous
repulse in the morning at Cedar Creek. 8
81 It is Just, in this ], connection, to give
the Confederates credit for the mastery
movement Of that morning, which SO
nearly resulted in the overwhelming OF
our army. Whoever conceived it,
whether General Early or another, was
q master Of strategy. An army was
silently marched in he night across
river, along the side Of mountain by
difficult paths, across the river again,
and around in rear Of our flank, passing
at some points SO near the pickets as to
be challenged. Nothing like it for risk
and daring has been known since
Wolfe dropped down the St. Lawrence
and scaled the heights of Abraham at
Quebec. .5.
The attack came in the log of early
morning. The Eighth Corps was rolled
up, run over. captured, dispersed. The
Nineteenth fought a desperate battle
for an hour, leaving two thousand on
the. field in killed, wounded. and
prisoners, and then slowly retreated;
fanked and driven back. The Sixth
Corps took up the brunt of the fight,
and fought splendidly while it could;
and then it, too, was fanked by that
irresistible torrent on the left and COM
PEELED to retire. 50
We all went back slowly. We
punished the enemy we'll; we were not
pressed, when, little before noon, we
were forming a line about four miles in
rear Of our camps. -..'>s.
From what I aw and heard about
me, am certain hat the remains of
this army there in line, comprising
something more than one-half of its
force in the morning, was prepared to
fight good defensive battle. As to
making an attack, don't believe that
anybody, General or private, thought
of such a thing. We had suffered
heavily in the morning. We were seri1
ously weakened by the great numbers
that had gone to the rear. We thought
we could hold this line; but nobody
came up, - ~.
He had finished his business at Wash
ington in a few honrs, and left there
for Baltimore; thence to Harper's Fer
~; and, as the road to Winchester was
beset by guer1illas, he had gone On by
railroad to Martinsburg, and had taken
the pike thence with an escort to Win.
chester. Here he arrived on the eve
ming of the 18th; and, there being no
unfavorable reports from the front, on
ly fifteen miles of, he concluded to re-
main there all night.
At seven o'clock the next morning,
the officer on picket in front of the
town reported the sound of artillery at
the front. The battle had, in fact been
going on two hours at that time; but
Early's artillery was just getting into
position, and joining in the attack.
Sheridan thought little of this report
knowing that a reconnaissance had
been ordered for this morning.
But, about ten O'Clock, as he rode
out beyond Winchester with two or
three of his staff and an escort of twenty
cavalry, the deep rolling of artillery.
and the scattered fragments of troops
and trains coming down the pike, told
him that disastrous battle was going
on. s.s X, - .--.f=zssz-=--55- {
Those who were with him say he
swore. lean we'll believe it.
He sent his staff and escort right and
left; he ordered out the infantry brigade
at Winchester to form line across the
pike and stop the stragglers; and,
putting spurs to his black PAGER, he
began his famous ride. $50
He was not ..twenty miles away.'
Our army was barely fifteen miles from
Winchester that morning. and had re
treated four miles. Eleven miles wa
the extent of the ride.
But he did his work we'll. Thous
'ands of demoralized stragg lers fllet
the roads and the fields; he shouted t.
them, encouraged them, and brought
many back to their duty.
He rode along the lines and rectifel
them, being greeted with cheers AMI
shouts wherever he appeared. he put.
new heart into that beaten army, with
his own confidence and assurance.
tsWe haven't been beat! We can't
be beat!" he insisted. ssWell lics
them yet! Wen have all those camps
and cannon back before night, nov,
Itell you!''
.sSoit was. Our lines advanced,
and, after, brief and bloody encoui-
ter, drove the enemy at all points, cap
tured all the guns and trains on tie
field. and reoccupied our old positions.
But never tell me that this could
have been done without Sheridan.
Il n